Day 8 - Singapore

Our plan to go hiking this morning was postponed as we woke to a dreary wet day.  Fortunately for us  though, the rain had disappeared by midday.

A rainy morning in Little India

After breakfast we all piled into two cabs and made our way to Mustafa Shopping Centre in Little India.  Linda had quite a few things to purchase for Tufi and this was the place to buy them.  The centre took up almost a whole city block and was three stories high.  It was a place that you could easily become lost in, but we loved it.  I bought a pair of joggers for half the price that I would pay at home and I also stocked up on herbs and spices.  A giant bag of cinnamon sticks cost me just $3! After our shopping spree we headed back to the Marina Mandarin to off load our goods and then we headed to Chinatown for lunch.  What a wonderful experience that was.  The food was delicious and what I loved the most was that I watched my food being prepared from scratch.  None of those ridiculous bain marie's full of food that we see all too often in Australia.

Chinatown "food hall"

The decorated streets of Chinatown

After lunch we once again headed back to the hotel for a rest.  Kate, Mike, Philip and I decided to head to Gardens by the Bay late in the afternoon to catch the light show that evening scheduled for 8pm.  Linda and Tony had seen it all before so they were happy to do their own thing.

 

A different view of Marina Bay Sands Hotel

Gardens by the Bay is an absolute credit to the Singaporeans.  The park is spread out over an area of 150 acres of reclaimed land.  It would take many days to cover this park properly so we decided that we would pick the things that we wanted to see the most.  The first on the list was the giant Conservatory - Cloud Forest:

Courtesy of Wikipedia:
"Cloud Forest covers an area of 2.0 acres. It replicates the cool moist conditions found in tropical mountain regions between 1,000 metres and 3,000 metres above sea level, found in South-East Asia, Middle- and South America. It features a 42-metre "Cloud Mountain" and visitors walk around the mountain via a circular path where a 35-metre waterfall provides visitors with refreshing cool air. "

The next place to visit was Flower Dome.  

Courtesy of Wikipedia:

"The Flower Dome is the larger of the two at 3.0 acres. It replicates a mild, dry climate and features plants found in the Mediterranean and other semi-arid tropical regions (e.g. parts of Australia, South America, South Africa). The Flower Dome is 38 metres high and maintains a temperature between 23 °C and 25 °C, slightly lower at night. The Flower Dome features seven different "gardens" as well as an olive grove. "

The three "suspended" statues really caught my attention.

It took us a couple of hours to look through the two conservatories and after we had taken in our fill of these magnificent places we headed to the Super Tree Grove where the light display was to be held.

Wikipedia again:

"Supertrees are tree-like structures that dominate the Gardens' landscape with heights that range between 25 metres and 50 metres. They are vertical gardens that perform a multitude of functions, which include planting, shading and working as environmental engines for the gardens.

The Supertrees are home to enclaves of unique and exotic ferns, vines, orchids and also a vast collection of bromeliads, amongst other plants. They are fitted with environmental technologies that mimic the ecological function of trees – photovoltaic cells that harness solar energy which can be used for some of the functions of the Supertrees, such as lighting, just like how trees photosynthesize; and collection of rainwater for use in irrigation and fountain displays, exactly like how trees absorb rainwater for growth. The Supertrees also serve air intake and exhaust functions as part of the conservatories' cooling systems.

There is an elevated walkway, the OCBC Skyway, between two of the larger Supertrees for visitors to enjoy a panoramic aerial view of the Gardens.  At night, the Supertrees come alive with a light and music show called the OCBC Garden Rhapsody."

We purchased tickets for the OCBC Skyway and we were mesmerised by the beautiful views that we had from the walkway.  After the walkway we took our places under the super trees for the light show.  The show was okay but it only took about 5 minutes and we were slightly underwhelmed.  However we would have been always wondering what it would've been like if we had missed it!

The Singapore Flyer (giant ferris wheel) can be seen quite clearly in this photo and note how high it is! 

The Light Show on one of the trees.

After the show we walked back to the Marina Sands complex for a light meal in the food hall and then caught a cab back to our hotel as, by this stage, it was about 9.30 pm.  We met up with Linda and  Tony for a nightcap and discussed the plan for the next day.  Sentosa Island for us!